The utilization of cooking greases and oils on a repetitive basis, commonly results in the extraction of fatty acids from the grease, oil or other shortening material. After a period of time, depending upon the quantity of shortening material and magnitude of food processed therein, the saturated fatty acids extracted from the food material increase until the saturated fatty acids predominate over those of the unsaturated fatty acids which may characterize the shortening material prior to the cooking process. These saturated fatty acids produce adverse characteristics in the foods prepared in the shortening material, these adverse characteristics manifesting themselves in the form of excess grease in the foods and a bad taste as if the food were burned. It is apparent, therefore, that the optimal preparation of the food product requires that the shortening material be changed on a regular basis, that is, replaced with new shortening material or a method must be found to remove the saturated fatty acids therefrom. The cost of replacing the shortening material as it becomes increasingly more saturated due to the extraction of saturated fatty acids from the food being fried, is considerably higher than the cost of filtering the saturated fatty acids from the shortening material. Presently, shortening filters are relatively ineffective in that they have a relatively short life and do not entirely remove the greasy and burned taste from the prepared food over any prolonged time. Moreover, the shortening must be recirculated through the filter many times. Therefore, the need to replace the shortening material occurs fairly promptly or it must be regularly recirculated until the shortening must be replaced, and as a consequence thereof, the cost of preparing the food itself is markedly increased over that which could be accomplished if an effective filtration media were discovered and which could function over a protracted period of time.